

As you inhale arch your back, slightly lean forward leading with your heart and gently look up for a slight backbend. Sit up tall and feel grounded in your sitting bones. Sit cross-legged and rest your hands on your knees. The seated variation of cat and cow is super gentle and will definitely make you feel like your body has much more space in it than before your practice. To get started, here are the top 10 restorative yoga poses (with explanations and pictures) that you need in your life:Ĭat and cow pose is part of most yoga styles and classes as this is a pose that’s moving all spinal vertebrae very gently in all directions. You will definitely feel the calming effects of having a quieter practice and you might find yourself wanting more of this kind of yoga.

Of course, there’s no need to give up the blood-pumping exercises that make your body and mind feel good, but trying to incorporate a slowed-down activity never hurt anybody :) Maybe the most beneficial exercise for you is the one that lets you experience the state of ‘not-doing’. This is too much for what our bodies were made for and can account for a lot of the aches, pains, and sickness you may be experiencing in your day-to-day life. Most of us are living a high-intensity life and always juggling a lot of activities. Those are some restorative yoga benefits that we can all enjoy a little more of! In fact, several studies have shown that it can lead to significant reductions in blood pressure, most likely thanks to its ability to calm stress. Having a restorative practice has proven health benefits as well. …but go ahead and try it you’ll see it’s not as easy as it sounds :) It also challenges the body as you’ll be sitting in a pose for a long time without any movement, which might not sound like a big challenge… It can feel especially challenging for the mind that is always active and wandering to be still and to be ok with not doing anything. This way, you are shown that your body can move comfortably in ways that it doesn’t normally move. If you’re attending a restorative yoga class, your teacher will likely go around the class to adjust postures and help students go deeper into the pose. Restorative yoga poses include very gentle twists, seated forward folds, and gently supported backbends. All poses are held for 5-10 minutes and all you do while holding the pose is breathe deeply and relax. These poses are often supported by props that allow you to completely relax into the given stretch. If you want to feel energized, build up to a quicker, more heated pace as you progress.A restorative yoga sequence is made up of usually only about five or six poses. If you want to feel serene throughout the day, keep your movement slow and gentle. Make this practice about moving intuitively. After completing poses five through 12 on the right side, repeat on the left before moving on. Instructions: Flow from pose to pose listed below, holding and breathing as noted. It starts out with some warm-up poses, moves through a vinyasa sequence that you'll repeat on each side, and then winds down. Plus, mind-body therapies like yoga have been shown to reduce inflammation and boost the immune system, according to research published in Plos One.Īnd, yes, in case you're wondering, a morning yoga routine also challenges your body (chair pose is no joke!), so you can move through your day feeling mentally and physically strong-and more flexible. Yoga can be an especially powerful practice for anyone dealing with anxiety and depression-and I find that turning to yoga before busy or stressful days goes a long way toward feeling more balanced and centered. Whether I need to ground down or feel more energized, the right flow of poses always helps me tune into my breath and body. If you ask me, there’s no better way to start the day than with a morning yoga routine.
